A/N : It is quite hard to write an entire chapter based on the Incubators =__=''' They are supposed to be emotionless beings, but if I accidentally gave them any sort of emotion or other... well. Also, for a heads up, this will be a relatively complicated chapter..

Night was falling over a huge, crystal dome that housed the Incubators' meeting area. Two cats were stationed at the entrance to ensure that non-Incubators (which was a certain Demon) didn't crash the assemblage. The pale moonlight washed over the many hundred alien cats, all gathered around a circular stage. They were twitching their ears, their eyes following the movement of an Incubator who was striding up towards the podium on-stage, his steps firm and strong, yet lithe.

This Incubator was like no other. His fur was of the deepest, royal purple, a black gradient working up his supple back. His slanted eyes were like glittering amethysts, dancing with enigma. His tail was held high proudly, spiked and brushed in such a way that it resembled the tail spikes of a dragon. But what really separated him from the other Incubators was his size. He was as large as a medium-sized husky, and had a ruff of black fur around his head that made him akin to a lion.

And when he spoke, no one was to interrupt. They were to listen, and only listen.

Standing confidently on the centre of the stage, without any hint of uneasiness, he opened his fanged mouth and said in a deep, rich tone, "Incubators! Just this morning, I have returned from a lost journey, returned from a few millennia of wandering. A warm welcome I did get, and I thank you for that, but to the topic of my speech..."

His eyes glinted dangerously, the tortured ghosts of his past adventure flitting in his irises.

"...I am here to aid you in the disposal of the Demon, Homura Akemi."

The effect of the name was instantaneous on the Incubators. There was an excited ripple of whispers, followed by agitated waving of their ear extensions. It was obvious that the topic of Homura animated them.

"Silence, my comrades," said the purple Incubator calmly, without raising his voice. No one disobeyed. They fell silent at once under his saturnine gaze.

"Before I get on to the topic, let me do a recap our history, for it would be essential to explain my disappearance... Maintaining the world's entropy has always been our cause, our one and only objective," he said solemnly. "At the beginning of time, when the Incubator quartet came into being, they knew at once that their task was to ensure the balance of the universe's energy. They were the Contractor, the Architect, the Researcher... and the Warrior."

The Incubators sat up rigidly, absorbing every single word dutifully. Although they had heard the story of their beginning countless times, this was the first time they were hearing it from the great Warrior himself. Ryubey had disappeared since the day Kyubey found Earth, and had now returned mysteriously.

"The Architect, Vyubey, laid the foundations of the nation we now live in, providing us with equipment, housing and technology. The Scientist, Xyubey, discovered ways of maintaining entropy through large surges of emotional energy, something which we are not capable of producing. The Contractor, Kyubey, then used this information to search for suitable life forms to which we can use to harvest said emotional energy. The Warrior, I, accompanied him to every corner of the universe, keeping his frail body safe from enemies and harm so that he may be unscathed and ready to form contracts with whosoever we may find suitable for the task. Eventually-"

An orange-furred Incubator raised his tail high, interrupting, "I have heard myths of you, Ryubey. You were the most powerful Incubator of all, being able to take down alien foes with just a swipe of your claws. If what I heard were true, then why have you disappeared after the discovery of Earth and left us to defend ourselves from the wrath of humans?"

A wave of chatters swept across the audience. The orange Incubator was right. Why did Ryubey abandon them for more more than a millennia?

"These girls from Earth..." continued the Incubator, "...they're far more powerful than us, being able to wield weapons and magic once a contract is formed. Yes, it was only recently so that one of them, the Demon, managed to conquer us, but throughout the years that you were gone, it was all up to Kyubey to ensure that the girls obeyed him without question. Some girls bowed to our might, some rebelled against us after the truth of their wishes came through, leaving many of Kyubey's duplicates dead. If Xyubey hadn't thought of creating dispensable bodies for the Contractor, the game would be over. No more contracts would be made - entropy would reign and consume us all... So here is my question : Why have you left us, and why do you choose to come back now? We need answers."

Here, Ryubey's amethyst eyes shone perilously, as if recalling a time where his life was once full of excitement and wonderment. He licked his fangs slowly, as if challenging the orange Incubator. The latter wilted under his intense stare.

"The whole point of this speech of mine is to explain precisely what you are asking. If you would be patient and just listen, I would really appreciate it," he said graciously. The orange cat lowered his head and mumbled a 'sorry'. Ryubey gave him a thin smile, and continued.

"Eventually, after many years of searching, Kyubey and I came upon the planet Earth. Here, we discovered 'humans', an alien race capable of experiencing emotions. Kyubey exerted his powers upon the young women there, finding that they were more susceptible to emotional flux compared to the males. In return for a single wish, they were given the power to wield magic and destroy Witches, an entity that would be their final fate, and through this process, entropy is released. I saw that the humans were still in the early stages of development - nothing much of a threat. So, I left Kyubey in charge of Earth, fully confident of his abilities, while I scoured the rest of the universe for similar beings. I told him, should he need any help, call for me and I will come."

"On my journey though, I was caught in a wormhole and transported to a region to the likes of oppressive emptiness. No matter existed there, neither was there any anti-matter or dark matter. I was the only form of matter, and the greedy nothingness sought to keep me in its claws forever. How long was I trapped there, I had no idea. All I knew was that my duty was being shirked, and I had no right to float in a place with no time and space, doing nothing."

Here, he raised his proud head high, declaring, "And so, I fought against the gravitational pull of falling into a dead stupor. You see me here now, because I have won against nothingness, against all the odds. I knew then, after my escape, that looking for another universe was now out of the question, and I should return to my home planet. It took me years to locate where you all were, but find you I did. It is time I took up my responsibility once again as Warrior, and protect you from the threat of Homura Akemi. Rest assured, she will be taken care of."

A loud smattering of applause met these words. But Ryubey had one last thing to say.

"My comrade, Kyubey, who is unfortunately on Earth to monitor the Puella Magi, Shika Kiyomizu, has done and endured more than enough - he is indeed more of a Warrior than I am. For that, I am very ashamed."

The next thing he did shocked the audience. The great Incubator bowed his head and extended his clawed ears before him. A gesture of deep apology and humbleness, something which wasn't expected from someone like him.

"With that said, I now give the stage to Xyubey. Please, enlighten us about your latest findings so that I may formulate a plan for war."

The sable furred Incubator took to the podium. Being a no-nonsense character, he went straight to the point. "Thank you, Ryubey. Now, as we all know, Homura Akemi is plotting to kill all the Puella Magi in this world, for reasons of which are unknown to us so far. She has made this obvious, through reports sent in from our scouts, that she is threatening the Puella Magi's lives by speeding up the corruption of their Soul Gems. Also, just today, there was a killing of a Puella Magi, Sayaka Miki, who consequently transformed into a Witch and was set upon her own friends."

"It is true that the Demon is indirectly helping us to gather entropy by making the girls fall into despair three times faster, but in the long run, this is not going to help matters. We are secretly trying to make contracts with other girls to replace those lost at the hands of Homura, but Kyubey hasn't been able to do so due to very strict observation and on threat of imminent death by the Demon. We are losing entropy at an alarming rate, and nothing can replenish it."

Xyubey paused, taking in the reaction of his fellows. The Incubators shuffled nervously. The extent of their problems was so vast, they weren't sure if they could ever rectify it. Ryubey, though, maintained a calm mien, and gestured for Xyubey to resume his speech. Encouraged, the Researcher continued.

"Another confounding subject that I will bring to light is the building of the Fake Mitakihara City to house a seemingly innocent Madoka Kaname. Vyubey was also asked to implant a fake Madoka into the real world to fool those around her of her absence. Also, she has commanded the synthesis of the Mega Witch, of which has not yet Actualised. We have no idea as of yet what she plans to do with it, nor do we know why she is hiding Madoka Kaname in the fake City. However, we speculate that all of this has something to do with the entity, 'Madoka Kaname' herself."

"Before I get to the topic of 'Madoka Kaname', I will voice the concerns related to the Mega Witch. So far, it is still a deformed lump, and shows no sign of life aside the times when it goes into a short rampage. Fifty good Souls were put into that Witch, and if it fails to Actualise, Homura will order for it to be detonated. And even if it does Actualise, once it carries out her bidding, she will detonate it otherwise. By doing so, the energy trapped inside the Witch will be wasted, because the bomb within it harnesses the immense amount of energy of the Witch itself to be set off. There was no other way to ensure the complete destruction of the Witch besides using its own energy to destroy it. According to my calculations, to compensate for this huge amount of energy loss, one would have to destroy planet Earth to get it all back. It is definitely very unsustainable and irrational."

At this, Ryubey raised his tail, saying, "If that were the case, why did you allow for the execution of such a ridiculous plan? Why didn't you challenge her?"

Xyubey cringed slightly at his accusatory tone. "We had no power to disobey her. To not follow her orders means treason and death, and I assure you, my value as a Researcher is too much for me to be killed. We are far too weak to oppose her."

The Warrior nodded. "I understand. Excuse me for my lack of sensitivity, for I have been away from company for a millennia. Please, continue."

"As you wish," said Xyubey impassively. "I shall now move on to the anomaly of 'Madoka Kaname'. This has been an ongoing project ever since the start of the creation of the fake Mitakihara. When Vyubey was tasked with the duplication of Madoka, I managed to obtain some DNA samples from her, and here, I made a very interesting discovery. Within the DNA sequencing, I found a genome in which neither other human nor Puella Magi had, meaning to say, that certain genome was foreign and inhuman. I compared it with a thousand other human subjects, but failed to find any match. But here is the interesting part..."

Xyubey raised his ear extensions above him and spread them wide. A hologram formed between them, and the Incubators could see a diagram of a DNA strand with the profile of Madoka alongside it.

"See here," he indicated, by making the concerned nucleotides glow bright blue, "this sequence is an anomaly, and you wouldn't find it in any other person. However, look at this comparing sequence..." A new strand of DNA appeared below Madoka's, and this time, Homura's profile appeared next to it. The same nucleotide sequence was highlighted again in bright blue. Both girls shared that one, similar sequence. Ryubey's eyes narrowed visibly, his mind working at the speed of a computer processor.

"Are you saying," growled Ryubey, "that Madoka Kaname shares the same genetic sequence as Homura Akemi, and thus, shares the same, unknown ability as the Demon?"

"On the spot, my Warrior. It is indeed true that Madoka and Homura share this unique gene. But on a closer look..." Xyubey enlarged the hologram of the DNA strands, so that only the highlighted part was showing. "Comparing the exact sequence though, Madoka has adenine in the third nucleotide, whereas Homura has a mutated form of adenine, which I coined as mysterine due to the mysterious aura that comes off of it. This small difference may mean a lot, but as of yet, I have no idea what the effect of mysterine is on Homura herself. I can only guess that it is directly linked to her magical powers. But if that were the case, wouldn't the other Puella Magi have them too?"

Leaving his question hanging, Xyubey stopped the hologram and lowered his ears, saying, "This is definitely a puzzle, but have faith. I will unravel this mystery in due time. The final point of my speech would be that of why Madoka Kaname is an anomaly in itself."

"Going through all the records of human history, I couldn't find a single piece of information relating to the existence of Madoka. Not even the records of her birth in Mitakihara City to Tomohisa and Juno Kaname could be found. Not of her life, not of her career, not of her marriage, not of her death. Nothing." He shook his head to emphasise the point. "While Homura Akemi is still remembered and accepted even though she has ascended to the status of Goddess, with her own history traced into mankind's, Madoka's cannot be found anywhere. Yet, in this world, everyone accepted her existence and saw her as real and concrete, even though she was never meant to exist. Do you get what I'm trying to convey here?"

Ryubey stood up, his mane glistening purple. "You are implying that Madoka Kaname doesn't exist, yet she exists at the same time, and thus, her very existence is a paradox and an anomaly. Am I right, my fellow Researcher?"

"Correct once again, Ryubey," said Xyubey, impressed by his comrade's speedy thinking. "Now isn't that an enthralling point to discover? If only I could get my paws on the real Madoka Kaname, I would have dissected her for further research... The possibilities are endl-"

"Now, Xyubey, don't you get overexcited about the prospect of cutting up a precious specimen." All heads whipped around to the source of the new voice. It was Kyubey. The white Incubator padded over to Ryubey, acknowledging the Warrior's presence. "Ryubey. Nice to meet you once again after all these years."

"The same goes for you, my white friend," nodded Ryubey. "But reunions can wait, business first. I believe you have news?"

"Indeed I do. Xyubey, if you are done?"

The sable Incubator bowed and left the stage, while Kyubey bounded up in one fluid motion. "With the prospect of Madoka the anomaly, solving it would clearly help us in our mission to maintain the world's entropy. I trust in you, Xyubey, to unravel the mysteries of this mutated gene, and perhaps shed light on the entity 'Madoka Kaname'."

Xyubey puffed out his narrow chest, proclaiming, "I will do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of this. Excuse me now as I go to resume my research." He scampered off in a hurry, muttering things about phosphate groups and complementary bases.

Going back to the meeting, Kyubey steered the audience's attention to his current endeavor on Earth. "Shika Kiyomizu and Akira Oda would have been familiar names here by now, but I am going to recap what I've discovered about them for the benefit of Ryubey."

"Ever since the first contract I made with a human girl, the number of Elemental Puella Magi that have been birthed are not many. There were only so few as a eighty-seven of these girls in a span of four thousand years. These Puella Magi are of a different calibre. Often times, they are born into great families, attached to a great many karmic lines of destiny. These girls were the catalysts of change in their era, and they were immensely powerful. The Elements within them aided them in their quest for greatness, and they often succeed. No deaths by Witch attacks have been reported for them, indicating that they are more than capable of holding their own against the Witches. Also, they are the longest-lived Puella Magi, compared with normal ones who Transform at the peak of their despair. They seem to have a higher tolerance to despair, and their Soul Gems corrupt up to three times slower than the average."

"So, they are basically extraordinarily powerful, no?" said Ryubey, his draconic tail swishing from side to side.

"Yes, and for that, we plan to harness their power to bring about the downfall of the Demon," replied Kyubey. "Shika and Akira are both impressive battle-hardened veterans, arguably the most vigorous fighters of this current world. The Trio have been appearing in Homura Akemi's dreams, and they always kill her as she flees, completely powerless and vulnerable. Thus, we believe that they would play a key part in the grand scheme of things. On a side note, this era has been the most disruptive one yet, what with Homura becoming a Demon, and the emergence of not one, but three Elemental Puella Magi."

"Three?" enquired Ryubey, brows creasing. "I've only heard of Shika Kiyomizu and Akira Oda so far. Who is the third?"

"That, I am unsure of," said Kyubey in his annoyingly innocent voice. "And that is why I have just returned from Earth, telling Shika to locate the third Puella Magi by tomorrow morning. I have had a very bad feeling about what Homura Akemi is up to. I am sure that she has something up her sleeve that may lead to the untimely destruction of the third Puella Magi, the Fire-Singer."

"Your intuitions are trustworthy, comrade," purred Ryubey, "However, in the case where the Trio kills Homura, what is your further plan for them? I am confident that the one who lands the killing blow will attain Homura's powers and ascend to the level of Goddess. How do you plan to control her then?"

Kyubey looked up towards the starry ceiling, a faraway look in his eyes. "That, I am afraid I cannot tell. With the new research on Madoka Kaname going on, her revelation may lead to changes in the game plan, and my plans for the Trio will change accordingly as well. For now, I am sticking to my original plans concerning Shika Kiyomizu and her friends. But one thing remains..."

There was an electric tension in the air. Every single Incubator could feel their nerves fire up with the pure passion of their mission – to maintain entropy and to get rid of any obstacles on the way.

"...Homura Akemi will be dealt with, and she must die, no matter the cost."

***

The meeting was over, and the Incubators streamed out, back to work. Ryubey hung back with Kyubey, wanting to ask him a question.

"So, Contractor, you said you were warning Shika that her life would be in danger if she doesn't find the third Puella Magi by morning. What made you think so?"

"I have this feeling that Homura Akemi may have eavesdropped upon Xyubey and I when we were conversing about the Earth-Shaker. Hints about the Fire-Singer were given, and she may have caught up on that and realised that the Elemental Puella Magi in her dreams were indeed real, contrary to what I've been telling her. Thus, she would have taken action and sought out her one enemy, intending to destroy her." He hung his head, and sighed. "I do not know how accurate my presumption is, though. All we can do now is to stay on high alert mode, and be ready for whatever she does. "

"As you say so, then, Kyubey," he replied. "I shall start devising my own plans, and when they are complete, I will inform you of them."

"That would be good."

The two Incubators walked out of the meeting room side by side, one large, one small, like a cat and its kitten. They didn't manage to make it far before a siren blast resounded throughout the Incubator's city.

"ALL PERSONNEL TO THE LABORATORY RIGHT NOW. THERE HAS BEEN A BREACH IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GRIEF SEED CONTAINMENT CENTRE. ALL PERSONNEL TO THE LABORATORY RIGHT NOW. THERE HAS BEEN...."

The alarm blared over and over again, repeating its dire message. Snarling and breaking into a full run, Ryubey sprinted ahead of Kyubey, shouting, "I'll meet you at the lab! Try and catch up!" Purple energy glowed around him, and in a burst of shadows, he disappeared from the spot, moving at the speed of light.

Kyubey's small paws pounded the tiled surface as he ran as fast as he could towards the lab. The Grief Seeds! Who would want to steal them unless they were...?

A cold feeling crept up the white cat's spine as it dawned on him.

...Homura Akemi. Who else but Homura Akemi?

***

Homura stole out of the laboratory, ten Grief Seeds safely stored within her Dark Orb. The Incubators were in too much of a panic to notice her. Slipping out of the lab into the corridor, where a window would lead her to her escape, she unfurled her raven wings and leapt out, feeling elated. Now, she would have the resources necessary to kill the tiger girl! However, before she could feel any glee at her thievery, she felt sharp claws embed themselves within her calves, pulling her earth-wards, and glanced down at once to see a huge, purple Incubator with fierce eyes roaring at her.

"You won't get away from me, Homura Akemi!" he bellowed, two inch-long fangs gleaming murderously at her. "Return the Grief Seeds you stole!"

Terrified at this new threat, Homura struggled to shake him off, but the Incubator's grip was scarily strong. He dug even deeper, and Homura cried out in pain as the claws curved inwards, hooking at her flesh.

"How dare you attack me?!"she screamed in rage, drawing her bow and arrow and aiming it at Ryubey's head. "For that, you will die!"

But Ryubey was not without his own tricks as well. Gathering a ball of energy in his mouth, he shot it towards her and Homura was forced to make a sharp twist mid-air to avoid it. The energy ball exploded behind her and sent them both crashing down with the shockwave.

"Let - me - go!" yelled Homura, pummeling Ryubey so hard on the head, it would have cracked any lesser Incubator's skull.

But Ryubey's fur had hardened into a metallic armour, and Homura's blow glanced off with a crushing 'ping'. Holding her hand in agony, she flapped her wings against the purple cat, meaning to cut him up. The storm of feathers did nothing to rile up Ryubey, and he doggedly hung on until Homura unleashed a torrent of shadowy projectiles right in front of Ryubey's face. The shrapnel flew everywhere, and the Warrior had to jump away to avoid getting impaled. It was all Homura needed to get away. Stumbling slightly, she took to the air and flew off at once. Seeing his enemy get away, Ryubey wanted to make chase, but felt Kyubey's paw on his messed-up shoulder.

"Let her go," said Kyubey calmly. "It would be unwise to interfere now; we know so little about the Demon and her plans. It could be a trap for all we know."

Ryubey shot him a grudging look, but complied without a word.

"I am hypothesizing that Homura Akemi may be using those Grief Seeds to call upon its Witches, so as to use them to kill someone whom she couldn't kill herself."

"Namely, the Elemental Trio?"

"Your perception is amazing. Of course. In her dreams, she couldn't kill them, so it makes sense that in the real life, she won't be able to harm them as well."

"So shouldn't we track her down and kill her before she kills them?"

"You've seen for yourself how powerful she can be... There's nothing we can much for now but to abide by her rules."

"Understood..." groused Ryubey.

"I'm glad you do," said Kyubey. "I was afraid you wouldn't listen to reason."

"I am not the brash Incubator I used to be, Contractor. And besides..." he gazed intently at the spot where Homura had vanished, leaving behind flecks of blood. "...To kill the Demon, one must employ logic, not emotions, and that is what I do best!"

Ryubey is going into the battlefield! Homura may meet her match in terms of cunningness and intellect just yet. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I'll try to update another chapter next month.

~SaitheVivana